Chemical composition and biological activities of nine essential oils obtained from Algerian plants

The essential oils (EOs) from nine species (Artemisia campestris, A. herba-alba, Juniperus foetidissima, Laurus nobilis, Mentha pulegium, M. spicata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia officinalis, and Thymus vulgaris) of the Algerian flora have been hydrodistilled, analysed, and tested for their antioxidant and antiproliferative properties. A. campestris EO showed a higher content of terpene hydrocarbons; A. herba-alba EO was mainly rich in their oxygenated derivatives. Sesquiterpenes were the most abundant compounds in J. foetidissima EO, while oxygenated monoterpenes and phenylpropanoids prevailed in L. nobilis EO. The other EOs were rich in oxygenated monoterpenes, with quality-quantitative differences. T. vulgaris and L. nobilis performed better in all the antioxidant assays, respectively with IC50 values ranging from 0.0002 and 0.0012 mg/mL in the CUPRAC assay to 2.83 and 3.50 mg/mL in the FRAP assay. T. vulgaris was also the only EO exhibiting an antiproliferative activity towards the human breast (MCF-7) and lung (A549) cancer cell lines.